The 14 round of the Croatian First League took place from October 28 to 30, 2017.
What can we say about the 14th round?
We saw Dinamo lengthen the gap from first to second place after defeating Rijeka, and Hajduk drew to Slaven Belupo which should have been a clear win. With Rijeka quickly dropping game after game, will Hajduk and Osijek be the two teams fighting for second place this year?
Here is our round 14 recap of the Croatian First League.
Dinamo v. Rijeka (3:1)
Dinamo Zagreb and Rijeka met at Maksimir on Saturday, October 28, 2017, for the first match of the 14th round.
In a matchup between two of the best teams in the Croatian league, Rijeka shocked Maksimir stadium with a goal in the 9th minute by Acosty. While many of us thought this could be the match that would close Dinamo’s lead in the standings, Moro equalized for Dinamo in the 29th minute. The game was 1:1 at the half.
Unfortunately, Rijeka could not keep up with Dinamo’s momentum, and goals by Soudani in the 49th and 79th minute gave the home team yet another win to add to their belt. The game ended 3:1 for Dinamo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=KpWlxyu7FPQ
Dinamo is currently in first place with 34 points while Rijeka is in third with 25 points.
Osijek v. Lokomotiva (3:0)
Osijek and Lokomotiva met on October 28, 2017, for the second match of the 14th round at City Garden Stadium.
It was a match where Osijek knew they could close the gap, and sure enough, they did to jump to second place in the standings.
While the first half remained scoreless, a goal by Osijek’s Lukić in the 67th minute gave the home team the lead for 1:0. In the 80th minute, Marić increased the lead to 2:0, and the 93rd minute saw a goal by Hajradinović for a final score of 3:0 for Osijek.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=6a6JTBj-qL0
Osijek currently sits in second place with 27 points while Lokomotiva sits in fifth with 18.
Slaven Belupo v. Hajduk Split (0:0)
Slaven Belupo and Hajduk met on October 29, 2017, for their 14th round match in Koprivnica.
What should have been a sure win for Hajduk was anything but.
Apart from Hajduk missing quite a few players due to injuries and cards, few threatening chances by both teams were not enough to secure a goal. The game ended 0:0.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=Lv1dNg2Hdsg
Hajduk now sits behind Rijeka in fourth place with 25 points while Belupo sits in 7th with 14.
Rudeš v. Cibalia (1:1)
Rudeš and Cibalia met on October 29, 2017, in Zagreb for their 14th round match.
Cibalia took the lead in the 37th minute with a goal by Strkalj, leaving the match 0:1 for the away team at the half.
While Cibalia almost held onto their lead long enough, Budimir found the back of the net for Rudeš in the 74th minute. The game ended in a draw.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=dwjO27ULa2g
Rudeš is currently in last place with 8 points while Cibalia is in 8th place with 13.
Istra 1961 and Inter Zaprešić (1:1)
Istra and Inter met for the final match of the 14th round on Monday, October 30, 2017, in Pula.
While the first half remained scoreless, Inter first took the lead in the 66th minute with a goal by Mamić. Almost holding on for the win, Istra came back to equalize in the 92nd minute of the match with a goal by Ofosu. The game ended 1:1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=UEcfr9YMRuA
Istra is currently in 9th place with 10 points while Inter is in 6th with 18.
